85mm f1.8 D

I have used all three (3) 85mm lenses. I started out with the 85 1.8D, which was a good, but not a great lens. It was reasonably sharp, with decent contrast and color. It did not excel at anything. It rendered photographs in the old Nikon style which I sometimes liked.

I then purchased the 85 1.4G. Biggest mistake ever. It is a good lens, with slightly better sharpness than the 85 1.8D. The problem is it is only slightly better, and was not anywhere near worth the extra $1,100. Contrast and color are just OK - a little bland and dull to my eyes. I actually preferred the color and contrast as rendered by the 85 1.8D.

Overall, as anotherMike stated above, the new 85 1.8G is the overall best 85 mm lens for the money. Sharpness is about on par with the 85 1.4G. And the color and contrast are as good as the 1.8G. the 85 1.8G would be my choice also, especially for the money.